


Same Old Fresh Air

by Kasoday



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Human Experimentation, Human/Animal Hybrids, Original Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Puppy!Yoosung, Romance, bunny!saeran/unknown, dove!v/jihyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasoday/pseuds/Kasoday
Summary: Rika is the head of a human experimentation lab called “mint eye” trying to make the perfect being by mixing human and animal DNA. By day she is a beloved student counselor and the founder of the RFA club where she raises money for charity but really uses the money raised to fund her lab. Min-Su, a broke college student just trying to survive and graduate, finds an abandoned dog that later turns out to be Rika’s missing cousin Yoosung. Following his blind devotion to Rika, he willingly let himself be tested on without realizing the cruel methods they used and their sick results. He managed to escape but not unharmed. Now he has to come to terms that his beloved cousin is not who he thought she was. Can Min-Su protect her new friend or will the strange white haired man succeed in taking him away?This is my first time posting anything online, comments are appreciated!
Relationships: Kim Yoosung/Main Character
Kudos: 4





	Same Old Fresh Air

The sky is dark and heavy as rain pours from the bloated clouds upon the earth below. The river nearby is swollen from the heavy downfall and its current rushes fast and harsh against the rocks and bank surrounding it. A figure stands under the meager shelter of the bus stop, their coat and umbrella unable to fully protect them against the harsh storm raging against their tired body. A few cars whizz by, their tires splashing the poor person's ankles with even more water. They wiggle their toes uncomfortably in their shoes, socks squishing unpleasantly with each movement. They are miserable.

They tilt their head up revealing the damp features of a young girl. Wet hair clings to the side of her face and she huffs unhappily as she wraps her arms around herself. 

“Of all days to not have a ride home.” She grumbles sadly. She checks her watch and sees that the bus still isn’t due to arrive for another 15 minutes. Hopefully they’ll still let her on even though she looks like she went for a swim with her clothes on. 

Faintly in the distance the young girl can hear whimpering over the loud roar of rain and thunder. Curious and already soaked she goes to investigate. She trudges through mud and water as she makes her way over to an alleyway between two buildings. With a cautious glance around she walks towards the source of the pitiful sound. In a flimsy cardboard box sits a drenched frail looking dog. 

Its fur is matted and dirty, mud caked heavily to the underside of its belly and covering its legs. Even still the girl can see that the pour thing is severely underweight. It growls as she gets near and she sees that its foreleg was injured. It looks like there was some fishing net wrapped around its neck and leg, cutting into its flesh the more it struggles. The girl carefully lowers herself and holds her hands out, speaking in soft soothing tones as she creeps slowly closer. The dog doesn't move to hurt her but keeps its eyes carefully trained on her as whimpered growls escape its throat. The girl slowly reaches into her bag and pulls out the box cutter she uses at work. Carefully but as quickly as she can, she cuts the net off the dog.

“Whew! Finally got that off, that feel better bud?” She carefully pets the dog and is pleased when it stops growling to instead sniff and lick her fingers. “But what to do now?” She muses to herself. If she’s quick she can gather up the dog and still make it back to the bus stop in time but what after that? It's clearly hurt but she doubts any animal hospital is open this late at night. She’ll have to take it home and care for it there until she could bring it to the vet. Hopefully her roommate won’t mind the sudden new quest.

“Well pup looks like you're going home with me!” Mind made up, the girl stands and carefully picks up the dog. It stays still as she did and only moved to lick her cheek once safely in her arms. “Such a good little puppy.” She coos. “I doubt you have an owner anymore. Maybe I’ll adopt you?” 

The pair arrive back at the bus stop just in time, the driver only gives her an annoyed glance at the fact that she and the dog are both soaked and covered in mud. She settles carefully into one of the seats and makes sure the dog is comfortable in her lap with no extra pressure on its injured leg. “Soon we’ll both be dry and warm.” She murmurs rather sleepily to her new companion. She moves her backpack between her head and the window and carefully dozes off into a light nap. The dog in her lap stares up at her, its eyes carefully assessing the napping girl and the situation it found itself in before closing its own eyes to sleep while it could. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the pair arrives at the girl’s apartment her roommate is understandably upset. “Min-Su! You’re soaking wet! And why do you have a filthy dog?” She quickly ushers the drenched girl inside and pushes her into the bathroom with the dog. 

As Min-Su is undressing, she calls out to her roommate, Jaehee, through the closed door. “I found this little one abandoned in an alleyway. It had a net wrapped around itself. Poor thing was hurt. I just wanna keep him for the night and bring him to the vet’s tomorrow. Get him treated, maybe find an owner for him.” She grabs the muddy beast and places it gingerly into the bathtub before stepping in behind. She carefully took the showerhead down to rinse the mud off the both of them before scrubbing them both to the best of her ability. The dog is clearly exhausted and hardly protests to the washing, only letting out a whimper here and there as its body is moved around. 

From outside the bathroom Jaehee sighs. “Alright but you both better be completely clean when you come out! I’ll try and make something for it to eat.” Min-Su is relieved that her roommate isn't too upset. Finally clean, Min-Su steps out of the tub and grabs a towel to carefully dry herself and the stray, shivering dog.

“Look at you, cutie!” She exclaims softly as fluffy yellow fur is revealed. “Such a good boy you are. Yes you are! Behaving so nicely for me.” The dog's tail thumbs weakly against the ground at the praise. Min-Su gives an affectionate smooch on the dog's forehead once he is mostly dry and he rewards her with a tired lick to her cheek.

Taking a step back, she examines the dog better now that all the mud was washed away. Just as she thought, he was severely underweight. His ribs were visible under his damaged skin. He has bad mange and the places where he does have fur is badly matted. The areas where the fishing net was tangled is red and split open, but thankfully no blood was flowing out. 

“Oh you poor baby” Min-Su feels her heart break at the terrible state the poor dog was in. She gently picks up the scrawny thing and carries him into the kitchen. 

The pair arrives just as Jaehee was putting some beef and broccoli into a bowl and setting in on the ground. 

“Perfect timing. This should be something ok for him to eat.” She straightens up and comes over to examine the dog cradled in her roommates arms. “Looks like he has a few cuts and sores. His skin is looking really bad as well. Looks like it's cracked open in some places. Are you sure you can afford the medical bills for him? It looks like he’ll need a lot of treatment before he gets better.” She shoots Min-Su a concerned look before carefully tilting the dog’s head up to look at his neck. A weak growl followed by a small whimper escapes the dog’s throat but besides that he doesn’t react to Jaehee’s gentle prodding.

Taking a step back Jaehee gives the pair some room. “Here, try and coax him to eat while I try to find something to treat his wounds.” Min-Su listens obediently to her ever reliable friend. Bending down carefully, she places the stray on the ground before the food bowl.

“Thanks Baehee. I really owe you one.” Jaehee merely shoots an annoyed glances over her shoulder at the nickname before continuing on her way. Now alone, Min-Su watches the scraggly dog tentatively sniff at the bowl before slowly starting to eat. 

Min-Su settles herself down behind the dog and leans against the counter, elbow resting on her knee keeping her head propped up. She takes this time to contemplate the situation she found herself in. First thing in the morning she’ll need to find a nearby animal hospital and make an appointment. Jaehee is right, it's probably gonna tear a hole in her pocket but Min-Su has survived worse. Skipping lunch for a few weeks won’t kill her and she’ll just need to cut back on her personal spending. No more buying webnovels. And if it gets too bad she can always call up her parents and beg for some money. 

She gives a tired sigh as she regards her new companion. Despite the state she found him in he is very well tempered. He has yet to lash out or try and bite her. Min-Su wonders about the life he had before she found him and what led to his abandonment. People can be so cruel, Min-Su couldn’t even fathom mistreating something that can’t stick up for itself, much less a dog. They are such good animals, treat them well and they will love you forever. And this one in particular seems so sweet and smart. 

“Don’t worry buddy, I'll look after you for now on.” The young woman slowly reaches out and pets carefully behind his ears, mindful and his raw skin in places. The dog jumped a bit at the contact and stopped eating but didn’t growl at her for disturbing his meal. Instead he almost seems to be regarding the girl behind him. Intelligence shines in his eyes and for a moment Min-Su is surprised at his countenance. Before she can think more of it Jaehee returns to the kitchen and kneels down beside the pair.

“I’m glad I always keep our first aid kit well stocked. Especially with your tendency to hurt yourself.” She starts to pull some things out and arranges them on the ground before her. “You'll probably gonna need to hold him while I disinfect his cuts. I really don’t wanna get bitten.” She looks uncertainty at the dog who has finished eating and is now hunched over on the floor, clearly trying to hide his wounds. 

Min-Su slowly approaches him, trying to make herself as non-threatening as possible. She tests the waters by gingerly sliding her hands under the wounded dog while talking to him in a soothing voice. “Hi buddy, don’t worry, we’re not gonna hurt you.” He licks at her cheek as she coos at him “Good boy! Poor baby, you must be so tired yeah? JaeHee is gonna patch you up as best she can, yes she is!” For the most part the dog doesn’t resist or appear threatened by their actions, only letting out a whimper out as he is moved around.

Min-Su carefully cradles the dog in her arms in a way that made it easiest to access his wounds. She keeps a firm enough grip that he won’t be able to lash out at Jaehee should he feel the need but gentle enough to not aggravate his wounds. With precise hands Jaehee begins to wrap up his front paw where part of the net had dug in and left a deep, raw cut. 

“ What did you say happened to him?” Jaehee asks while she works. Once done with his paw she gently tips his head up to examine his neck. “These cuts are pretty thin but dig in deep, he might need stitches.” 

With a worried frown Min-Su explains the state she found the dog in. “It looks like he got tangled up in a fishing net. I don’t know how it happened or how long ago but I imagine that the more he struggled the deeper it cut in.” She gently strokes the side of his face when he lets out a sharp yelp as Jaehee tries to take a look at the other side of his neck.

“Woah!” Jaehee exclaims as she promptly backs off and holds her hands up. “Sorry, sorry! I just wanted to get a better look.” She waits for him to calm back down before starting to bandage his neck.

“I’m pretty glad that none of the cuts were bleeding a lot.” Min-Su murmurs “This would have been a much different situation if that were the case.”

Now all patched up and settled on a blanket near a water bowl, the dog slips off into a much needed sleep. After who knows how long, he finally has a full belly, a warm bed to sleep in, and even someone to stroke his fur as he rests. For once he doesn’t have to worry as sleep takes over. Tonight he is safe, tonight he is cared for. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning finds Min-Su rushing about the tiny apartment with a phone to her ear. “No, I don’t know his medical history, I found him last night.” She prepares for the day while answering questions from the vet before she brings the dog in for his appointment. “Huh? Uh no, he hasn’t had any vomiting or diarrhea. Yes, I got him to eat and drink, today he even ate some scrambled eggs.” Min-Su answers all the questions to the best of her ability while Jaehee goes to the store to get a harness and leash before she rushes off to work.

After a bit of a hectic morning Min-Su and the rescued dog finds themselves at the animal hospital. 

“Well Miss Yoo, it’s good that you found him when you did. His condition is looking pretty bad right now but don’t worry, we’ll have no trouble getting him back on his feet in no time.” The doctor’s smile is very kind and puts Min-Su at ease. “Now since he’s in such bad shape we will need to keep him over night. He’ll need stitches on his left forearm and paw and along the back of his neck. Of course once you bring him home he will need to wear a cone to keep him from messing with the stitches and bandages. Since he is so dehydrated we’ll give him an IV while he stays the night. We will also start him on some antibiotics to fight off infection.” 

The doctor pauses to examine her notes before she continues. “Along with the antibiotics I will be sending him home with some topical solution to help with his mange. Every 5-7 days you will need to use the solution of sulfur and lime to rinse or dip his fur to kill off any bacteria, parasites, and fungal infections.” She explains. “ Now this treatment might take a few weeks to fully get rid of his mange and you will need to make sure you’re in a well ventilated area every time as sulfur causes an offensive odor. Once the drip dries it will be less notable.”

The rest of the appointment follows as such, the doctor going over the treatment plan and thoroughly explaining everything to the inexperienced young woman as the dog is taken to the back to start his treatment. 

Finally, everything is taken care of except the payment and it has Min-Su nervously wringing her hands. As a college student with only a part time job she doesn't make a lot of money. The only reason she has such a nice apartment is because Jaehee covers most of the rent. Min-Su is lucky if she has more than 50,000 won in her bank account. She is definitely going to need to swallow her pride and borrow some money from her parents. After a bit of nervous pacing she finally musters the courage to call her mom. 

“Oh? What a surprise! A call from my wonderful daughter so early in the morning!” Mrs. Yoo exclaims over the phone “Have you finally found yourself a husband? My  _ agaya _ isn’t getting any younger, you know!” 

Min-Su only huffs and rolls her eyes at the teasing “Actually Mama, I called to ask for a favor,” she corrects “You see, I found this dog on my way home from work yesterday and he was in pretty bad shape. So I took him home to help him and now we’re at the animal hospital to get him help. The problem is that I don’t have enough money to pay for the medical bills so I was really hoping I could borrow some money from you and dad.” Min-Su speaks quickly in her nervousness, not allowing her mother a chance to reply. “I-I promise to pay you back but he really needed help and I didn’t want to just abandon him. How cruel would that be! You know, you always taught me to look after others so really, I’m just following what you taught me and-”Min-Su’s rambling is cut off by her mother’s raised voice.

“Honey, honey! It’s ok I understand. Just tell me how much you need.” She spoke with a comforting tone. “A few 100,000 won? That’s fine sweetie, we can cover that.” Rather than answering right away, Min-Su remains quiet. “Sweetie?”

“...1,000,000” Min-Su mumbles.

“I’m sorry love, I didn’t get that. How much?”

“1,000,000 won!” Min-Su shouts into the phone. “Actually it's a little more but I can cover the rest on my own.” She spoke more softly. 

There is a pause on the other side of the phone followed by a lengthy sigh. “Sweetie, I’m not sure your father and I can lend you that much. It’s not that we don’t trust you to pay it back, it’s just that money is a bit tight for us right now.” Mrs. Yoo says sadly. “I’ll give as much as we can but you’ll need to get the rest of the money elsewhere. I’m sorry my _agaya_.”

“No, no it’s alright,” Min-Su replies, knowing she was asking too much of her parents. “Even just a little bit is helpful. Thank you so much Mama, I really appreciate it. I’ll see if one of my friends can help out. I just need to get this all paid before I leave today.” She rubs her forehead, trying to think of anyone willing and able to help. 

“Ok my love, I wish you all the luck in the world and I’m so proud of you. Going out of your way to help this poor little thing. You have such a caring heart.” Min-Su smiles at her mother’s words before they get everything settled and say their farewells.

Slumping back in her chair, the young woman scrolls through her contacts on her phone to see who she can ask for help. Nothing jumps out at her and she realizes that all her friends are broke like her. She groans loudly but quickly stops when she notices she is getting a weird look from the lady behind the counter. With an awkward wave she goes back to fiddling with her phone, her cheeks warm. 

The sudden sound of her ringtone going off makes her jump and almost drop her phone before she answers. “Hello?” She greets

“Hello Min-Su, can I assume you made it to the animal hospital alright?” The person on the other line asks.

“Oh! Jaehee! Yes, we got her fine.” Min-Su answers. “But there is a problem, I don’t have enough money to pay the medical bills for the little guy.” She bemoans.

“Hmm yes, I anticipated that being a problem.” Jaehee confesses. “Were you able to borrow some money from your parents?” She asks

“Yeah, they were kind enough to lend me a decent chunk of the amount but even with the money I have saved that still leaves little over 500,000 won” Min-Su groans.

Jaehee lets out a little chuckle before she replies. “Actually, that’s perfect because I was able to get a loan for that amount from my company. I talked to my boss today and after a bit of convincing I got him to agree to lend me 500,000 won.”

“Oh my gosh! Jaehee you are the absolute best! I really owe you one. I promise to pay back every last cent.” Min-Su exclaims, wanting nothing more than to reach through the phone and give her best friends the biggest hug possible.

Jaehee awkwardly clears her throat before continuing.” Yes of course. Now I have already transferred the amount into your account but you will need to come in and see Mr. Han yourself. He would like to draft up a formal agreement and go over the terms with you.” 

The two go over the details of the meeting and discuss what to do once the dog is done getting his treatment. They decide to foster him for the time being till they either find a new owner or decide to outright adopt him. Situation now under control, Min-Su pays the woman behind the counter before deciding to find a nearby pet store to prepare for her new housemate.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> Thanks for taking the time to read this  
> I would really appreciate it if you could leave a comment and kudos  
> This is my time posting anything so if you have any tips to help me that would be great!  
> <3


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